Top positive review

It’s a documentary really but don’t let that put you off, this is mind blowing.

I don’t climb. Did it a few times at an indoor climbing wall and at least got a teeny bit of appreciation how much strength is required but what this guy does is literally from another planet and if you think about it you really get scared for his prospects of survival. But the thing is. The whole movie is obviously moving towards this big climb finale but before that he seems to casually do a whole bunch of solo climbing that seems quite ludicrous enough thanks very much. So when you come to the final thing you’re thinking ok so this can’t be that much scarier, but you’re wrong. It’s almost like he’s casually mocking our entire existence with every needle eye-threading minuscule finger pinch hold of the rock thousands of feet above death. That fact that some of the greatest mountain climbers that have ever lived are scared witless thinking about and then witnessing what he’s doing drives it come.

Despite what others have said I didn’t find his girlfriends presence in the movie intolerable. With that said I have to say she comes across as rather manipulative and a potential huge distraction to Alex to the point you think she’s going to cause him to fall to his death. But maybe for the move that’s okay.

Anyway. This guy is incredible. What he does is incredible(insane). And this movie as a high resolution chronicle of what this guy does for fun is something no one should miss..

Top critical review

Of course I was expecting some of this, considering the hype and the so much waiting and marketing. The climbing enterprise remains of course, but focusing on the movie, and even considering the peculiarities of the free solo approach that brings potential (or even likely) death into the picture (unlike say sport climbing), still too much of personal stuff compared to the climbing itself that was the part I was looking for. It does come eventually, after 30-40 mins, without which or with a different approach would have got more starts from me. As a climber myself I'm probably biased as this is clearly something for the general public that serves "the show", rather than a climbing insight documentary. Alex remains up there, countless starts for the endeavor, but just 3 for the movie.

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Alex Honnold's ascent of El Cap has to be one of the most amazing accomplishments in the climbing world ever, and some of the sequences are truly awesome. Having said that, I bought this to watch the climbing and there are a lot of annoying cuts to the cameramen (who are obviously nervous watching their friend solo this extremely difficult route) which I thought detracted from the overall experience. Being a climber myself I simply cannot get my head around how one would control the fear when pushing out the Freeblast slab/boulder problem/Monster offwidth/Enduro corner solo. Unbelievable worth the watch.

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4 stars for the achievement but 3 for the movie. If you are a climber who wants to see how he climbed the whole route you would get dissapointed. 1/3rd of the movie is dedicated to the actual free climb and they only show the tricky parts or the route. The rest of the movie is about preparation, friends, personal life. I bought bluray, the extras material is very stingy on the volume. There should have been 2 bluray one for the movie and 2nd won for climbers who would want to see the whole climb. They could have packed the whole climb into one disc.

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A number of friends had recommended this film to me. I have no head for heights at all and quite often I can go giddy watching films made at height. Strangely despite some of the shots in this film being at extreme exposure I was not too put off. Why anybody would want to climb a 3000 ft cliff with no safety is beyond me but this is an interesting insight into the guys motivation. You have to feel for the camera crew and his girl friend mind.

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Interesting insight in to the world of free climbing; the preparation involved before a climb, the psychology of the climbers and the impact on their personal relationships. I found the film enthralling and emotionally complex. I now have a deep admiration for the family and friends of free climbers!